About the Beaverton, Oregon Area 

Located seven miles west of Portland, over the West Hills, Beaverton is Oregon's most densely populated city, with a population of about 83,100. It is the 5th largest city in the state and the  largest incorporated city in Washington County. More diverse and more dynamic than Portland, its most surprising feature is that there is no "downtown" in the normal sense - no public square, no landmarks, and no very tall buildings. Yesteryears' central core is today occupied by new car dealerships with a scattering of specialty shops offering an eclectic cultural variety in the remaining old structures. A couple of nearby shopping malls provide the major retail presence. The Community Center, Central Park (with its public fountain) and the new Library cluster along 5th Street between Watson and Hall Blvd.

The new City Library makes very good use of technology in providing on-site computers for patrons to use, free wireless internet access to use your own laptop, and an online searchable catalog and book reservation system. You can even renew your books online. Special programs and events exist for children and teens.

The Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District encompassing Beaverton serves approximately 200,000 residents. It provides 200 parks spread over 1,600 acres with 30 miles of hiking trails and a 25-mile bike path network. There is a park within 1/2 mile of every home.

Beaverton has something for everyone, whatever your preferences. With low crime rate, exceptional schools, easily accessible transportation, just about every conceivable of housing, clean air water – Beaverton is a great place to live and work. In 2005, it was an All American Cities finalist.

Climate
Breathe deeply and enjoy the scenery. There are few places in Oregon more beautiful and accessible than the City of Beaverton. Surprisingly, although known for its "wet" climate, Beaverton averages only 36" or rainfall a year, less than Indianapolis at 39" and Boston, MA, which gets 43.8". It also gets less rain than Miami, FL, (56") but they get much of theirs in hurricanes.

Beaverton lies at 45n29 latitude, 122w48 longitude, very close to the same latitude as Ottawa, Canada (45N30,5), but with much milder weather. The Coast Mountains protect us from much of the ocean-born storm activity. The West Hills protect us from the worst of the winter weather that tends to arrive via the Columbia Gorge to the east. During a winter storm, it is generally several degrees colder and experiencing far heavier winds at the mouth of the Gorge than over here in the local "banana belt".

In fact, winter temperatures are mild with usually only one or two snowfalls of a couple of inches (although we can get a serious storm like the one in February of 1990 that dropped nine inches over two days), or a rare ice storm. Summer brings relatively few really hot days, averaging in the 80's and with less than 5" rain over four months. Unlike most parts of the United States, hot, humid days are few.
What's the weather like today?

Farmer's Market
Recognized as one of the best Farmers Markets in the West by both Sunset and Country Gardens magazines, the popular Beaverton Farmers Market is an old-fashioned, unique outdoor market experience. It is open every Saturday morning May through October, and every Wednesday afternoon from late June the end of August. As the city is surrounded by fertile farms, it features the region's finest agricultural products delivered morning-fresh and sold by the growers themselves, a variety of food vendors, and live music. One Saturday in November there is a special Harvest Market.  Beaverton also has a Community Garden plot located behind the Community Center on Hall Blvd.

Education More than 36000 students attend grade K-12 in 46 schools in the state's 3rd largest school district. The Beaverton School District is nationally acclaimed for students' high SAT scores, and area businesses have formed strong partnerships with the schools. Higher Education opportunities within a 30-mile radius include some of the region's best state and private universities and community colleges.

Recreation
Beaverton is located within an hours' drive of many popular recreational destinations, including the Oregon Coast, Mt. Hood, and the Columbia Gorge. In fact there is so much to see and do here, we have made a separate section just on recreation. Portland's downtown cultural offerings are just minutes away. If you are looking for a day or weekend getaway, TravelOregon.com has divided the state into seven distinct districts and mapped out day trips to all of them.

Just to the northeast of the Beaverton, Tigard and West Portland, Oregon, area, lies the only active volcano in the 48 contiguous States. It is now the most closely monitored active volcano in the world, with instruments and the “VolcanoCam” mounted on the crater rim. From the Volcano Observatory one can view the crater and observe both the devastation wrought in the 1980 eruption and the remarkable recovery nature has engineered. The VolcanoCam is live on the internet, updated every five minutes. In addition to the latest photo of the interior of the crater, the site has a wealth of information about the volcano, its recent history, and links to the USGS volcano websites on Mt. St. Helens and past crater images.

A Street in SW Beaverton

Housing
Beaverton has virtually every style and age of housing imaginable. Some of the earliest homes in central Beaverton were built in the early 1900's. New homes and townhomes with the latest in architectural stying and energy saving features are currently under construction. On the heights overlooking the city are expansive estates with phenomenal views. The City has compiled information on school ratings, crime rates, and the cost of housing for each of its 13 organized neighborhoods.

Examples of Homes in Beaverton
A Split Entry Style Home	A Ranch Style Home	A Tri-Level Style Home

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